Darth Saber
:"The truth is, I'm afraid. Even Sith know fear." :—''Darth Saber.'' Darth Saber was a Sith Lord with a unique take on his Order's tenets, instrumental in deciding the fate of the Sith Empire during the final years of the Great Galactic War. He was a follower of the light side who, alongside his master, attempted to reform the decadent Empire and bring equality to its oppressed citizens which the Sith once championed to protect. Biography Early life The man who would become the kindliest Sith Lord alive was once just a sensitive little boy living on Ziost with his mother and younger sister while his father was off fighting in the war. It is unknown exactly when Saber met Ratchet on Ziost, but it is heavily implied that they bonded over the deaths of their fathers. Upon coming of age, Saber was sent to the Sith Academy on Korriban to train in the ways of the Force. Yet unlike the rest of his peers, Saber seemed to excel in a different field of study: Sith Ethics. This brought him to the attention of the eccentric Lord Doctor Inventorus, aka Steve. A former Sith Lord with a callous reputation, Steve was now a mild mannered man who saw in Saber the ideal apprentice and accomplice in realizing his own idealistic dreams: that of an Empire united in equality. While Darth Saber managed to complete his trials in the Valley of the Dark Lords and ascend to the rank of Sith, the ways of master and apprentice parted for a short time. Holocron of Fate In no less than a year, Steve summoned his former pupil with the offer to make him a Sith Lord and complete their dream of an Empire liberated from oppression. Oblivious to his master's darker motives, Saber jumped at the opportunity and joined the research team of the Lord Doctor — but Steve had different plans than his apprentice believed. Steve was on the hunt for a powerful holocron that laid secure and hidden among the other relics of the Jedi on Coruscant. He believed that with its powers, he would be able to awaken the Force within non-Force sensitives and effectively reduce the social rift among the citizens of the Empire and equalize the populace. The Outlaw Heroes Having successfully taken hold of the holocron from a band of miscreants and outlaws, Steve introduced the new artifact to his apprentice and the rest of the research team. With Saber's studious focus and affinity to the light side, he was able to discern the holocron's nature and began making inquires with his master. After a heated confrontation of what the purpose of the holocron was, the newly-minted Sith Lord left on hostile terms, furthering Steve's descent into madness. The Fallen Knights :"Insipid little child! Your lack of conviction has allowed the Empire to rot, all the while you cowered on Nar Shaddaa like a common lowlife. '''You know it in your heart.' My way would have led to peace."'' :—''Steve.'' Feeling betrayed by his master, Darth Saber was struck with a crisis of faith in the Empire and left the Stygian Caldera to reunite with Ratchet, becoming a small-time smuggling duo on Nar Shaddaa for the next nine years of his life. Barge of Pleasure Enjoying a regular night inside the local cantina of Booze Girls, Darth Saber was worried about his Mandalorian pilot and oldest friend being late. Anxious and unwilling to wait for her return, he ventured out into the cityscape to find her. While Ratchet was only off to visit the tech shops in the general vicinity, Saber accidentally got mixed up in the business of the local crime lord, Grabba the Hutt, resulting in his arrest. Immaculate Waking up inside his shabby cell in the palace of Grabba the Hutt, the resourceful Saber managed to sneak his way out and surprisingly find his old friend from the Imperial army, General Fux, inside with a band of Imperial commandos pillaging the vaults. He warned him about the Mandalorian siege currently ongoing on the palace before giving him an item of his choice to help him escape: the foolish Sith Lord chose a very large, yet oddly immaculate drumstick to clobber his foes with. This ended up not working all that well as he was ultimately captured by Grabba and sent to his private arena to battle for the crime lord's amusement. He was joined by the armored dame who was arrested for being accomplice to his deeds the night before, Caroline Hill, also known as the Quirk. Operation: Liposuction After being pounded into submission by a gargantuan Trandoshan, he was successfully rescued by an enraged Quirk who carried the unconscious Saber on her back to the terrace above, heading towards the hangar bay. She was intercepted by Doop Skychafer, a former Jedi Knight who was part of the Mandalorian siege, and was asked by General Fux to rescue Saber with the promise of hefty recompense. With a sharp and unexpected kick to the groin, the Quirk was left behind as ownership of the Sith Lord traded places. Waking up in a puddle of the questionable sort, he was met by the brash Jedi and his old pilot, Ratchet, as they made their escape from the planet via the Centennial Turkey, the ship that once belonged to his master's old rival, Mynock. Danger Zone Opting to go to Dantooine, where General Fux's stash of payment to Doop resided, the trio arrived too late to find themselves enraptured in a chaotic battle between the Republic and the Chiss Ascendancy fleet that happened to be stationed near the planet at the time, led by Grand Admiral Snote himself. Thankfully, Ratchet's piloting skills managed to deliver them to the surface of the planet relatively unscathed, but the Mandalorian pilot was forced to make repairs while Saber and Doop explored the planet below. Doop's recklessness brought them to a direct confrontation with an army of murderous droids rampaging through the city of Khoonda, forcing Saber to run away towards the plaza. There, he was introduced with another threat, the gungan clones that the Ascendancy had hoped to employ against the droids. He was saved in the nick of time by the dashing outlaw Red, a former Ascendancy scientist who played a part in creating the clones, otherwise known as Missy. A Game of Clones The pair made their escape to Lake Surik in the wilderness where they bonded over a dinner after Saber fished out several trouts using the Force. While the Chiss lady thought little of the barbaric Sith Lord at the time, a budding romance was blossoming between them. As morning approached the Sith Lord and his new ally, the pair had decided to go the Jedi Enclave to shut down the droid army and entered a shortcut using the local kyber crystal caves that connected to it. Darth Saber split up from his outlaw friend and during this brief period of solace, he found himself drawn to the main crystal chamber of the cave that gave him his second kyber crystal after his original lightsaber was lost. It was purple in hue. Facing down a terentatek, Darth Saber was shocked when it revealed itself as an illusion and took on the appearance of his master instead. Fooling the young Sith Lord into thinking it was the Force Ghost of Steve, Saber had a fiery debate, confronting his master a second time. His faith in the Empire was reignited, at least to spite his master's misplaced ways. As the illusion dispersed in contentment, it also bore a warning: that Saber's naivete and idealism would ultimately cost him. Saber rejoined Missy in the cave as the latter found a way into the Enclave. He notified Ratchet to move the ship to the new location if the repairs were done as they graced sunlight in the courtyard of the Jedi Enclave, now turned into the Secret Wire's base of operation. Managing to convince Columbo, the droid detective stationed there, to help them shut down the droids, they were joined by Ratchet in the main hallway. After turning off the long communications scrambler, as well as the droids themselves, the four of them contacted General Fux to come to the Empire's aid, hoping to turn the tide of the battle. In the meanwhile, Darth Saber constructed his lightsaber as the clone army, now running rampant and unopposed by the droids, descended upon the Enclave. Sweet Bucks of General Fux Darth Saber fought valiantly in the battle of Dantooine and managed to hold off Snote's apprentice in lightsaber combat, who was leading the clones on the surface against the Empire. Missy shot him with her blaster in the chaos of their duel. As the battle was tipping in the Empire's favor, the gang reconvened with Doop near the Imperial vault where Doop's impending wealth had finally awaited him. In an unfortunate turn of events, the vault was found emptied by the fugitive outlaws, Mynock and Kestrel, the latter of whom was Columbo's previous mistress, and the ex-Jedi thus vowed to find them. With Saber deciding to return to the Empire, he was reluctantly joined by Ratchet as he bid his farewells to Missy, for whom he was starting to harbor feelings for. Whilst Missy did not return them at the time, she did promise that if Saber inevitably found himself in trouble, that she would come to his rescue again. Legacy of the Force :"This was no longer a war of misguided ambitions and old hatreds. It was becoming a war of survival. A war that would leave only dust and bones, and broken dreams in its wake." :—''Darth Saber.'' Darth Saber was sent to fight in the frontlines as the Sith Lord in charge of the 59th Brigade. While the campaign was steadily carving a path into the Core Worlds, Arkanis proved to be a costly and rebellious undertaking, flipping allegiances multiple times over the course of a standard galactic year thanks to its sturdy and heroic populace driving back the Sith oppressors with guerrilla warfare. With the vanguard unexpectedly split on two fronts instead of one, the campaign on Corellia suffered a crucial blow to its offensive. While General Fux was willing to pay the price of his troops if it meant having a direct shot at seizing Coruscant, the Imperial troops on the surface were nearing their breaking points, with their army morale at an all-time low. Hello Darkness While he's been a shy and reserved man for most of his life, the desperation of the Empire's army forced Saber to step up in the role of a leader to the best of his ability. He led the attack on Axial Park, a gateway into the heart of Coronet City and the key to the Republic's defeat in the battle. Facing stark opposition along the way, Saber used his smarts to get past the commando lines and surrounded the Jedi defenders above the park. There, atop the platforms, he confronted Jedi Master Viridi, who was in charge of the defense. After managing to defeat her, and with her unwillingness to turn herself in to the infamous Sith inquisitors, she pleaded with the honorable warrior to end her life. While Saber hesitantly acquiesced to her request, Viridi's Padawan, observing their duel from afar, saw his master murdered in cold blood by a vicious conqueror and vowed revenge. Beat Riders Pinned down overnight after seizing the park, the brigade suffered heavy losses before they made their way to their new base in the Governmental District. Facing pressure from the retaliatory Republic troops, Saber sent Missy the last in a series of messages that she never answered to. As midnight closed down on him and his troops, Missy sent her reply, hastily promising that she would come for him. Master Bait In their new base of operations, a refurbished casino, Darth Saber and his troops restocked and resupplied their weapons and equipment as some troops started painting their armor decals in white as appreciation of Darth Saber's valiant efforts to keep their morale high amidst the depravities of the battlefield. Captain Faz, arguably his right-hand woman, stood watch over the casino as he made his way to a distressed Ratchet, who was worried that Saber made a mistake of ever going back to the Empire. Fearing for his life, his old friend gave him an ultimatum: he would have to leave the battlefield in the morning, or she would take the Friendship and leave on her own. Saber was conflicted, yet feeling responsible for his troops, he mournfully decided to stand by them, at least for the night. After receiving their next set of orders, a suicidal task by all means, the brigade was on the brink of collapse. Finding his charisma at long last, Saber mustered up a rousing speech, lifting the spirits of the 59th Brigade as they marched out onto the streets below in an organized task force meant to assassinate the Republic leadership overnight. Unfortunately, the Republic troops were waiting for them, preparing a deadly ambush that broke the spirits of the Imperial forces, prompting many to desert and their mercenary allies to disperse. Pressing on, in spite of Ratchet's pleas, Saber came across a confrontation with one of Corellia's Green Jedi, only to be interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious knight. The knight had slain the Jedi and tried to warn Saber of a terrible threat that far eclipsed anything the Empire would face on the frontlines, telling him to come to Nar Shaddaa. Before he could explain more, a silent, cowled assassin violently crushed the knight in his own armor and began approaching the terrified Saber with deadly intent. Disobeying his orders and forcing his troops to retreat, the remainder of the brigade rallied around the entrance to the docks. The ones that remained in the base were slain by Cayden's vengeful crusade against the Sith Lord for killing his Master. Captain Faz and Flavia were the only ones who stuck with Saber directly as he hailed General Fux to appeal to the desperate situation down on the planet's surface. With his old friend unwilling to change his stance, Saber made the decision to unravel the mystery of the assassins instead of being complicit any further to the butchery the high command sent its citizens on. Angered by Saber's disobedience, Fux ordered his exile from the Sith Empire, stripping him of his status and rank. As Saber and his compatriots made their way to the Friendship, he was reunited with Missy and shared the tale of why he came to the frontlines in the first place, reflecting on the deeds of his father in parallel to his own. Joined by Tink, Missy's slicer friend, the band boarded the Friendship and left the wartorn skies of Corellia behind. Unbeknownst to either of them at the time, however, a tracker was placed by the Jedi Knight Cayden on their ship. During their travel to Nar Shaddaa, Saber most notably had a chat with Captain Faz in the med bay as they discussed the cost of the war and what it meant for the future of the Empire. He also began working on a holocron of his own. Comforted by Ratchet over his exile, Saber's return to Nar Shaddaa was met with a steadied pace, as Flavia and Faz stayed behind to guard the vessel. With Missy, Ratchet and Tink accompanying him, Saber made his way to Booze Girls, hoping to find a lead on the elusive Knights of Jossh and the location of their hidden sanctum. He was regaled by the story of Mynock and Kestrel by the local bartender and his ex-Jedi friend, as he was reminded of his master's misdeeds once again. Ordering for his table, and being directed towards a pale Trandoshan who might know more, Darth Saber met a young pirate named Maz whose Wookiee friend helped them procure information out of the tight-lipped lizard ruffian. The datapad found among his belongings pointed to the entrance of the Knights' base being in the docks of the abandoned refugee sector, a dangerous and foreboding place. With information on their side, the group finally decided to venture out in search of their mysterious potential allies and their hidden fortress. Behind the Scenes Darth Saber is the second protagonist of the Old Republic Paint Adventures and arguably the most popular one of the bunch. For all intents and purposes, he is the Han Solo of his era, which came as a shocking surprise to Alamact who felt that the audience would never buy into his straight-laced attitude all that much. Trivia *Darth Saber favored lightsaber style of combat is the graceful Makashi form. This is something he shares with his master, Steve. *His scar is typical of anti-hero characters to signify their grim nature. In a way, the romanticized "knight errant" core of Saber's character is meant to subvert this. *Darth Saber is arguably the first Sith Lord introduced in the new canon, considering the fact that neither Kylo Ren or Snoke are actually Sith. *Nicholas Hoult plays him in the hypothetical movie adaption. *His favorite alcoholic beverage is mustafar milk, and his favorite person is Ratchet. *You were expecting Missy, weren't you? Appearances *''Barge of Pleasure'' *''Taking Out the Trash'' *''Immaculate'' *''Bagman'' *''Operation: Liposuction'' *''Danger Zone'' *''A Game of Clones'' *''Sweet Bucks of General Fux'' *''Hello Darkness'' *''Beat Riders'' *''Master Bait''